Seal for a sterilizing container

ABSTRACT

A sterilizing container is provided with a seal. The container has a lower part, a cover sealingly placeable thereon, and a closure for securing the cover on the lower part. A seal secures the closure in the closed position. The seal is formed in a planar substrate, such as paper or paperboard, and includes a bar or finger insert element that is insertable into a loop that projects from the closure of the container. The seal is provided with a region adjacent to the free end of the insert element that is coated with contact adhesive. This region is foldable along a fold line to form an unreleasable seal with the free end of the insert element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a seal for a sterilizing container forreceiving surgical instruments or the like, comprising a lower part, acover sealingly placeable thereon, a closure means securing the cover onthe lower part as well as a seal for securing the closure means in theclosed position, wherein the seal comprises a bar-like or finger-likeinsert element insertable into a loop of the closure means and aconnector connected to the rear end of the insert element not insertedinto the loop and unreleasably connectable with the end of the insertelement protruding through the loop.

In the case of sterilizing containers care must be taken that thecontainer is not opened unintentionally following sterilizing so thatthe sterility of the contents is ensured. In order to achieve this, itis known to seal the closure means of such sterilizing containers,using, for example, wire seals or plastic seals in the manner of cablebinders. The known seals are attached by the insert element being lockedin position on a connector by deformation, form-locking or a detentconnection after its insertion into a loop of the closure means. Thisconnection can no longer be released, i.e. this is possible only bybreaking the seal.

The closure means of the sterilizing container cannot be opened as longas the seal is attached so that any opening of the closure meanspresupposes that the seal has been broken. This is easily recognizablefrom the closure means of a sterilizing container and so an undamagedseal is a sign that the container has not been opened unintentionally.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to design a seal of the generic type suchthat it can be applied without any tools and without complicatedprovision of a form-locking or detent connection.

This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention, for a sealof the type described at the outset, in that the connector has a regioncoated with contact adhesive, this region being arranged adjacent to thefree end of the insert element and foldable along a fold line onto thefree end of the insert element. In order to close the seal it issufficient to fold this coated region over and press it onto the freeend of the insert element. This provides a firm adhesive connectionwhich can be released again only when the seal is broken. In particular,adhesives can be used for this which reach this strength only at thehigher temperatures occurring during sterilizing. This means that priorto sterilization this closure means can, if necessary, be opened oncemore and closed again without breaking the seal. Only aftersterilization is the connection so permanent that any opening can takeplace only once the seal is broken.

It is favourable for the region coated with contact adhesive to becovered with a removable cover film so that the region which can befolded over is made ready for closing the seal only when required byremoving the cover film. A particularly favourable arrangement resultswhen the fold line extends in front of the free end of the insertelement at right angles to its longitudinal expansion. The shaft regionwhich is folded over is therefore folded onto the forward part of theinsert element and so the seal is altogether shorter due to this foldingprocedure.

In a preferred embodiment, the coated region is connected with the rearend of the insert element via two webs extending parallel to the insertelement. This results in a symmetrical arrangement having highstability.

Preferably, the seal is plate-like or sheet-like in design, i.e. alarger number of seals can be stacked in piles in a magazine and removedtherefrom as required.

Such a seal can be designed such that parallel slits are arranged in theseal on both sides of the insert element. The slits extend as far as thefold line and are connected with one another in the region of the foldline. These slits therefore form the insert element between them fromthe flat seal.

When the seal is notched at the end points of the fold line, foldingover is made easier and, moreover, the operating personnel recognize theexact position of the fold line so that the danger of any folding at anundesired line is reduced.

It is favourable for the region coated with contact adhesive, in thefolded over position, to also cover partial regions of the connectoradjacent the free end of the insert element. This increases themechanical stability of the seal which then has, for example, asymmetrical shape with two compact end regions and two intermediate,parallel slits which form between them the insert element which is fixedon both sides.

It is possible for the seal to consist of paperboard or paper or anothermaterial which is capable of being recycled. This facilitates thedisposal of used seals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description of preferred embodiments of the inventionserves to explain the invention in greater detail in conjunction withthe drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seal prior to the region coated withcontact adhesive being folded over and

FIG. 2 is a view of a sterilizing container with an inserted and closedseal.

The seal 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 has the shape of a rectangular card ora rectangular sheet and consists of paper, paperboard or a similarmaterial capable of being recycled. Two longitudinal slits 3 and 4 arespaced from one another and extend parallel to the longitudinal edges 2of the seal 1. The slits are enclosed around one end by the material ofthe seal whereas, at the other end, they each expand towards the otherlongitudinal slit such that a connection is formed between the twolongitudinal slits 3 and 4. Therefore, a tongue-like or finger-likeinsert element 5 is formed between the two longitudinal slits 3 and 4.At its rear end this insert element merges into the end region 6 of theseal 1 which has no slits whereas, at its front end, it ends in freespace and is not connected to the surrounding material of the seal 1.

The two longitudinal slits 3 and 4 are limited at the free end of theinsert element 5 by a fold line 7 extending transversely to thelongitudinal direction of the longitudinal slits 3 and 4. The fold lineextends as far as the longitudinal edges 2 of the seal and at its endpoints merges into notches 8 and 9 in the seal.

The region 10 following the fold line 7 is coated on one side with acontact adhesive 11 and this adhesive region is covered with a coverfilm 12 extending as far as the fold line 7.

The seal as described can be used for sealing the closure means of asterilizing container, as illustrated in FIG. 2. This sterilizingcontainer 20 has a lower part 21 and a cover 22 which can be placedsealingly thereon. The cover 22 can be fixed in position on the lowerpart 21 by a closure means 23. The closure means comprises a flap 24with a recess 25 through which, when the closure means is closed, a loop26 arranged on the lower part 21 of the sterilizing container 20protrudes. To open the closure means the flap 24 must be swivelled pastthe loop 26.

In order to seal this closure means in the closed position, the sealillustrated in FIG. 1 is used. When the flap 24 is closed, the insertelement 5 is introduced with its free end into the loop 26 and pushedcompletely through this until the free end exits again on the oppositeside of the loop. The end region 6 and the entire front part of the seal1 hereby cover the flap 24.

Once the seal 1 has been inserted in this manner, the cover film 12 isremoved from the region 10 coated with contact adhesive and this regionis folded over along the fold line 7 and pressed down such that thecontact adhesive engages adhesively on the free end of the insertelement 5 and on the adjacent regions of the seal 1 simultaneously.

In FIG. 1, the seal is illustrated prior to the adhesive region 10 beingfolded over, the region 10 when folded over is illustrated by a dash-dotline.

In FIG. 2, the seal is illustrated on the container, the adhesive region10 hereby being folded over onto the seal, i.e. the seal is secured inplace. The dash-dot line represents the region 10 prior to being foldedover.

I claim:
 1. In combination:a sterilizing container having a lower part,a cover sealingly placeable on said lower part and a closure means forsecuring said cover on said lower part, and a seal constructed andarranged to secure said closure means in a closed position, said sealcomprising:an insert element extending from a connector member andhaving a free end insertable into a loop of said closure means; and acontact adhesive on a region of said connector member adjacent to saidfree end, said region being foldable along a fold line onto said freeend to enable said contact adhesive to form an unreleasable seal betweensaid contact adhesive region and the free end of said insert elementthat is inserted into and extends beyond said loop; wherein said insertelement is separated along a length thereof from said connector memberby two parallel slits that extend to said fold line and are connectedwith one another in a region between said free end and said fold line.2. In combination:a sterilizing container having a lower part, a coversealingly placeable on said lower part and a closure means for securingsaid cover on said lower part, and a seal constructed and arranged tosecure said closure means in a closed position, said seal comprising:aninsert element extending from a connector member and having a free endinsertable into a loop of said closure means; and a contact adhesive ona region of said connector member adjacent to said free end, said regionbeing foldable along a fold line onto said free end to enable saidcontact adhesive to form an unreleasable seal between said contactadhesive region and the free end of said insert element that is insertedinto and extends beyond said loop; wherein said contact adhesive isresponsive to temperature to form said unreleasable seal only after ithas been exposed to sterilizing heat.
 3. In combination:a sterilizingcontainer having a lower part, a cover sealingly placeable on said lowerpart and a closure means for securing said cover on said lower part, anda seal constructed and arranged to secure said closure means in a closedposition, said seal comprising:an insert element extending from aconnector member and having a free end insertable into a loop of saidclosure means; and a contact adhesive on a region of said connectormember adjacent to said free end, said region being foldable along afold line onto said free end to enable said contact adhesive to form anunreleasable seal between said contact adhesive region and the free endof said insert element that is inserted into and extends beyond saidloop; wherein said fold line extends perpendicularly to a longitudinalaxis of said insert element and in front of said free end, and saidcontact adhesive region is connected with a rear end of said insertelement via two webs extending parallel to the insert element.
 4. Incombination:a sterilizing container having a lower part, a coversealingly placeable on said lower part and a closure means for securingsaid cover on said lower part, and a seal constructed and arranged tosecure said closure means in a closed position, said seal comprising:aninsert element extending from a connector member and having a free endinsertable into a loop of said closure means; and a contact adhesive ona region of said connector member adjacent to said free end, said regionbeing foldable along a fold line onto said free end to enable saidcontact adhesive to form an unreleasable seal between said contactadhesive region and the free end of said insert element that is insertedinto and extends beyond said loop; wherein said contact adhesive regionis connected with a rear end of said insert element via two websextending parallel to the insert element, and said seal is fabricated asa planar article.
 5. A combination according to claim 4, wherein saidinsert element is separated along a length thereof from said webs by twoparallel slits that extend to said fold line and are connected with oneanother in a region between said free end and said fold line.